Colin Fischer

Can there be too many aspie novels, and in particular, ‘aspie character solving a crime’ novels? Possibly, but as long as they are well written and entertaining I can certainly manage a few more. I did stop to consider this as I started on Colin Fischer the other day, thinking that I was on familiar ground, but I soon fell under the spell of Colin and his family. He has a mother who says ‘holy sh–!’

Although only twice. I think. She works for NASA, and Mr Fischer does something spacey-sciency as well. Hardly surprising they have ended up with a son like Colin. More surprising his younger brother is so ‘normal.’

Colin has just started high school, and he did so with his head flushed down the toilet. He keeps a notebook for just about everything. He seems to know just about everything, too, except how to socialise with people.

One day a gun goes off in the school cafeteria, and Colin sets to work on finding out who did it. He works almost harder at proving who didn’t do it. For this he has to leave his comfort zone. And he has to lie, which he needs help with.

You could see this as ‘simply’ another book set in an American school, with a socially awkward boy solving a mystery in an aspie kind of way. But I loved it!

Perhaps one day we can have an aspie hero who isn’t quite as capable as Colin. Most parents of children on the autistic spectrum have far more serious concerns than those faced by Mr and Mrs Fischer. But as contemporary entertainment, this has everything; mathematical rules about where to park your car, as well as advice on cooking for people who sell weapons.

I’d never heard of Ashley Edwards Miller and Zack Stentz before, but it seems they are the scriptwriters for X-Men and Thor. I can’t decide whether they intend to return to Colin Fischer, although I believe they left the door open.

Really? They flipped their episodes round? You can’t introduce the team to Clayton Reeves now, when Torres was talking to him two weeks ago. The episode before last was the very worst I’ve seen, and that’s saying a lot. What … Continue reading →